Two foreign nationals, suspected to be linked to the Hyderabad bomb blasts, were arrested in East Champaran district of north Bihar on Saturday when they were trying to sneak into Nepal.

“Mohammad Abdul and Abdullah Umar Makrani have been arrested near the Indian
immigration office at Raxaul, close to the Indo-Nepal border,” Raxaul deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Jitendra Panday told HT. “But it is yet to be established whether they are linked to the Hyderabad blasts,” he said, adding the two were not carrying valid visas.

A senior Bihar police official also confirmed the arrests for not possessing proper documents, but said their role in Hyderabad blasts was yet to be ascertained.

Some visuals recovered from the laptops of the suspects appeared to “indicate their link” to the Hyderabad bomb blasts.

The DSP said during their interrogation, the two confessed they were coming from Hyderabad and had visited many cities of India, using the documents they were carrying.

Panday said both Abdul and Makrani appeared to be of African origin. “Makrani appears to be from Somalia. Among the papers being carried by Abdul, is a seemingly fake Indian identity card,” he added. The DSP said the police stepped in following a tip-off from officials of the India immigration office.